Panacea Index Logo

Command Palette

Search for a command to run...

A rapid juvenile murine model of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH): Chronic intermittent hypoxia exacerbates Western diet-induced NASH.

Life sciences
July 1, 2021
Jian Zhou et al. (8 authors)
Journal ArticleAnimal Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to determine whether combining a Western-style diet with chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) could rapidly replicate key pathological features of pediatric NASH in juvenile mice.

Results Summary

The Western Diet (WD) combined with CIH accelerated liver damage, metabolic dysfunction, and fibrosis, mimicking pediatric NASH within 6-12 weeks. WD alone caused weight gain, steatosis, and metabolic disorders, while CIH exacerbated these effects, including oxidative stress and inflammation.

Population

Juvenile C57BL/6N mice (3 weeks old).

Effective Dosage

Not specified (hypercaloric fatty diet plus high fructose).

Duration

6 and 12 weeks.

Interactions

None mentioned.

Extracted Claims (14)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
Control diet with Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia (CIH) exposure
increase
hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance (IR)
C57BL/6 N mice (3 weeks old)
-
exhibited
#1
Western Diet (WD)
increase
weight gain
C57BL/6 N mice (3 weeks old)
-
developed
#2
Western Diet (WD)
increase
microvesicular steatosis
C57BL/6 N mice (3 weeks old)
-
developed
#3
Western Diet (WD)
increase
indices of metabolic disorders
C57BL/6 N mice (3 weeks old)
-
developed
#4
Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia (CIH) exposure
increase
WD-induced macromicrovesicular steatosis (liver triglycerides and de novo lipogenesis)
C57BL/6 N mice (3 weeks old) fed a Western Diet (WD)
-
accelerated
#5
Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia (CIH) exposure
increase
WD-induced liver injury (ballooned hepatocytes and liver enzymes)
C57BL/6 N mice (3 weeks old) fed a Western Diet (WD)
-
accelerated
#6
Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia (CIH) exposure
increase
WD-induced lobular/portal inflammation (inflammatory cytokines and macrophage recruitment)
C57BL/6 N mice (3 weeks old) fed a Western Diet (WD)
-
accelerated
#7
Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia (CIH) exposure
increase
WD-induced fibrogenesis (hydroxyproline content and TGF-β protein)
C57BL/6 N mice (3 weeks old) fed a Western Diet (WD)
-
accelerated
#8
Western Diet (WD) with Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia (CIH) exposure
increase
hepatic MDA content
C57BL/6 N mice (3 weeks old)
-
exhibited elevated
#9
Western Diet (WD) with Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia (CIH) exposure
increase
protein levels of NOX4
C57BL/6 N mice (3 weeks old)
-
exhibited elevated
#10
Western Diet (WD) with Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia (CIH) exposure
increase
protein levels of α-SMA
C57BL/6 N mice (3 weeks old)
-
exhibited elevated
#11
Western Diet (WD) with Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia (CIH) exposure
increase
protein levels of collagen I
C57BL/6 N mice (3 weeks old)
-
exhibited elevated
#12
Western Diet (WD) with Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia (CIH) exposure
decrease
Nrf2 protein expression
C57BL/6 N mice (3 weeks old)
-
exhibited reduced
#13
Western Diet (WD) with Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia (CIH) exposure
decrease
HO-1 protein expression
C57BL/6 N mice (3 weeks old)
-
exhibited reduced
#14
Abstract

AIMS: Many dietary NASH models require a long duration to establish (4-6 months). Chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH), a cardinal hallmark of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), may accelerate the progression of pediatric nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, diet-induced obese (DIO) mice exposed to CIH have not been perceived as a fast or reliable tool in NASH research. This study was designed to establish a rapid juvenile murine NASH model, and determine whether the combination of CIH and a western-style diet (hypercaloric fatty diet plus high fructose) can fully display key pathologic features of NASH. METHODS: C57BL/6 N mice (3 weeks old) fed a control diet or western diet (WD) were exposed to CIH (9% nadir of inspired oxygen levels) or room air for 6 and 12 weeks. KEY FINDINGS: The Control/CIH group mainly exhibited hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance (IR). In contrast, mice fed a WD developed weight gain after 3 weeks, microvesicular steatosis in 6 weeks, and indices of metabolic disorders at 12 weeks. Furthermore, CIH exposure accelerated WD- induced macromicrovesicular steatosis (liver triglycerides and de novo lipogenesis), liver injury (ballooned hepatocytes and liver enzymes), lobular/portal inflammation (inflammatory cytokines and macrophage recruitment), and fibrogenesis (hydroxyproline content and TGF-β protein). Notably, only the WD/CIH group exhibited elevated hepatic MDA content, protein levels of NOX4, α-SMA and collagen I, as well as reduced Nrf2 and HO-1 protein expression. SIGNIFICANCE: WD/CIH treatment rapidly mimics the histological characteristics of pediatric NASH with metabolic dysfunction and fibrosis, representing an appropriate experimental model for NASH research.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AnimalsAnimals, NewbornDiet, WesternHypoxiaInflammationInsulin ResistanceMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLNon-alcoholic Fatty Liver DiseaseOxidative Stress
Study Links
Quality Scores
Safety20
Efficacy85/10
Quality75/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations16
Citations/Year4.0
Relative Citation Ratio1.39
NIH Percentile62.3%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.25
Weight Score1.84
Normalized Score0.57
Related Supplements
A rapid juvenile murine model of nonalcoholic steatohepatiti... | Panacea Index